Live: 'Isolated' young generation advised to come out of digital world

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Last Updated: Sun, Feb 17, 2013 11:40 hrs

5.00 pm:

'Isolated' young generation advised to come out of digital world

Children of the digital age, who are often plugged in online and are increasingly disconnected with the real world, have been advised to become urban planners and create spaces where they can socialize offline.

The advice was made by Warringah Council who was alarmed by research that revealed that there were high rates of social disconnection among generation Y.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the findings from a survey by the northern beaches council of 1000 young residents found high levels of stress, anxiety, depression and isolation from their community.

The study of people aged between 12 and 24 contained in the council's youth strategy released last week found 66 percent felt anxious, stressed and depressed on a regular basis and felt disconnected from their peers and community.

Councillor Vanessa Moskal, 21, said members of her generation had grown up with social media, but their real-world relationships might be suffering as a result.

She said that we have great opportunities to spend time with friends online, but added that that's partly been at the expense of face-to-face time.

She added that a lot of the young people in the survey commented on that sense of disconnect.'

To combat the social disconnect, Warringah Council is asking young people to help plan public places where they can socialize in person rather than on screen, the report added.

4. 25 pm

Army foils infiltration bid along Line of Control in Rajouri

An infiltration bid by a group of five militants was on Sunday foiled by the Army which launched a massive search operation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

"A suspected move of a group of four-five persons was detected by alert army troops along the LoC at Hamirpur area, Balakote sector of Bhimber Gali Brigade, Rajouri at early hours today," PRO Defence S N Acharya said.

"Immediately, the surrounding area was cordoned off. The infiltrating group was challenged by our troops," he said, adding that the men thereafter took cover in the bushes and opened fire on the troops.

The troops then fired back in the direction from where the movement had been observed, Acharya said, noting that the intermittent firing continued during the night.

"The exchange of fire stopped at around 0600 hours today. The intruders probably retreated taking advantage of the darkness, thick vegetation and ground topography," the PRO said.

3. 30 pm

Ex-cop arrested for role in Navi Mumbai builder's murder

A day after a Navi Mumbai builder was shot dead by two assailants dressed as private security guards, a retired policeman was arrested today in this connection.

"We have arrested Samuel Amolik in connection with the case," Navi Mumbai Police commissioner A K Sharma said today.

Samuel, an 'encounter specialist' in Mumbai who retired from the police force three years back, was allegedly in touch with the shooters, a police source said.

He was earlier suspended for his alleged links with the underworld, but later on was reinstated in the force, the source said.

Sunil Kumar Loharia, 50, had sustained five bullet injuries and stab wounds yesterday when he stepped out of his car in front of his office in Vashi area of Navi Mumbai. He later died at a hospital.

2. 45 pm

Russian meteor exploded with force of 30 Hiroshima bombs

The meteor that streaked across the Russian skies on Friday, injuring around 1,200 people, exploded with a force 30 times greater than the Hiroshima nuclear bomb, Nasa scientists say.

The 55 foot wide rock with a mass of 10,000 tonnes lit up the sky above the Urals region, causing shockwaves and damaging thousands of homes in an event unprecedented in modern times.

"It had an energy greater than (all) the weapons used in World War II," Bill Cooke, leader of the Meteoroid Environments Office at Nasa's Marshall Space Flight Center, told the 'New York Daily News'.

The dazzling fireball burned brighter than the Sun as it unleashed nearly 500 kilotons of energy, around 30 times the size of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

The Delhi Police on Saturday charged Uttarakhand minorities commission's sacked chairman S.S. Namdhari and other accused with murder, conspiracy, kidnapping and destruction of evidence in the murder case of liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep.

The Delhi Police filed the charge sheet against Namdhari, his personal security officer Sachin Tyagi and 20 others in the case related to the murder of the Chadhas in a shootout here last year.

Namdhari and the others were charge-sheeted for offences of murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy, kidnapping, illegal confinement, trespass, destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code, and also under the provisions of the Arms Act.

11.35 am:

Maldives' judicial watchdog denies making anti-India remarks

Maldives has said a forged letter of the Judicial Services Commission was used by elements inimical to India to attack the Indian High Commissioner here in the midst of a controversy over former President Mohamed Nasheed taking refuge in the Indian Mission where he continued to stay for the fifth day today.

A statement on the letterhead of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), the country's judicial watchdog, made available to the media organisations yesterday, sharply criticised Indian High Commissioner D M Mulay for 'interfering" in the country's judicial process.

Arriving here within days of exposure of the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP helicopters scam involving Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland, UK Prime Minister David Cameron is likely to be pressed for more information in this regard during his meetings with the leadership on Tuesday.

The visit also comes in the wake of India taking steps to scrap the contract after Italian investigators probed allegations that aerospace group Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, had broken the law by paying bribes to foreign officials.

A day after the ministry of defence (MoD) stated that it had “initiated action for cancellation of contract for procurement of 12 AW101 helicopters for the use of VVIPs”, the ministry announced on Saturday that it was sending a senior official to Italy to ascertain the facts in the case.

An MoD release on Saturday stated: “MoD is deputing a senior joint secretary to Italy to gather as much evidence as possible relating to the allegations of corruption in the acquisition of 12 AW101 VVIP helicopters for the Indian Air Force. The official, A K Bal, will be leaving for Rome as early as on Monday.”

The legal action initiated by the MoD yesterday amounted to the issue of a showcause notice to AgustaWestland “seeking cancellation of contract and taking other actions as per the terms of the contract and the integrity pact.” The Anglo-Italian company has been given seven days to respond.

9. 20 am

63 killed, 200 injured in blast in Pakistan

Sixty-three people, including women and children, were killed and nearly 200 injured when a powerful bomb ripped through a Shia neighbourhood of Quetta city in southwest Pakistan on Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks targeting the minority community.

The blast occurred at Kirani Road in Hazara Town, a suburb of Quetta with a large Shia population that has been targeted by terrorists in the past.

The area was crowded at the time of the blast.

The bomb was hidden in a vehicle and triggered by remote control, DIG Wazir Khan Nasir told reporters.

As enforcement efforts have tightened globally, Iran is using China as a platform to smuggle sanctioned goods for its controversial nuclear programme, according to a US think-tank.

A report, titled 'Ring Magnet for IR-1 Centrifuges' by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), said that China needs to do more to show that it is a responsible member of the global economy.

The ISIS enquiry also brings into picture for the first time the name of a relatively small Indian company - a Chennai-based shop located in Mount Road.

"The enquiry mentions Ferrito Plastronics, a relatively small Indian company that appears to be offering its services in China. This company is unlikely to have been capable of manufacturing such a large quantity of magnets. It is unclear from the enquiry if Ferrito Plastronics was responding to the enquiry or if Tamouresi was contacting this company," it said.

8.00 am:

Conclave for new Pope may begin before March 15

The conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI could start before March 15 if all the cardinals were already in Rome, the Vatican has announced.

The conclave of 117 cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church is expected to start between March 15 and 18, about two weeks after Pope Benedict's resignation Feb 28. Under the church rules, the conclave is to begin between 15-20 days after the papacy becomes vacant, to give cardinals time for the arrival in Rome.

The cardinals already know the pope's resignation date and can convene in Rome before March 15, said Vatican spokesperson Father Federico Lombardi.

Pope Benedict, who became the 265th Pope in 2005 following his predecessor John Paul II's death, announced his resignation due to old age and failing health Feb 11. The last pope to step down before his death was Gregory XII in 1415.

7.30 am:

A day after meteorite fragment reported to have fallen in Russia's Chelyabinsk region, the government said divers examining the Lake Chebarkul found no trace of the celestial body.

A spokesperson for the Russian Emergencies Ministry said: "The ministry's divers have completed examining the lake's area but discovered no traces of the meteorite."

A flaming meteorite streaked across the sky and slammed into central Russia Friday with a massive boom that blew out windows and damaged thousands of buildings around the city of Chelyabinsk, injuring more than 1,000 people in the area.